Mention of Aherns
in Newspaper Stories
1990-2000

JUDGE AHERN WON'T RUN FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY Superior Court Judge Robert Ahern announced Friday that he will not run for the post of Santa Clara County's chief prosecutor, leaving the contest to two leading candidates from within the district attorney's office. Ahern, a former prosecutor himself, had considered entering the race since incumbent Leo Himmelsbach announced last summer he would not seek re-election. George Kennedy, chief assistant district attorney, and Jerome Nadler, deputy district attorney, are the other candidates. The judge said Friday he did not want to put his family through the strain of an election campaign. Ahern and his wife, Mimi, have three children, ages 9, 14 and 16. — San Jose Mercury News 24 February 1990

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BIRTH Diane and Michael Ahern of Woburn, proudly announce the birth of their son, Kasey Richard, 5lb. 5oz. born Feb. 2, 1990 at the Melrose Wakefield Hospital. Sharing their joy are brothers Kristopher and Keith. Proud grandparents are Betty and Dick Ober of Woburn; Helene Ahern of Pepperell; Michael Ahern of Rochester, NH; and great-grandmother Lena Ahern of Lynn. — Woburn Daily Times-Chronicle 23 February 1990

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BIRTHS MR. AND MRS. MICHAEL J. AHERN (Diane E. Ober), of Woburn announce the birth of their son, Kasey Richard, on February 2, 1990. He joins his brothers Kristopher Michael and Keith Daniel. Grandparent honors are extended to Richard P. and Elizabeth A. Ober of Woburn, Michael D. Ahern of Rochester, N.H. and Helene M. Ahern of Pepperell. — Woburn Daily Times-Chronicle 28 February 1990

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Ahearn for Secretary of State Massachusetts has been stuck in its 1 1/2-party system for so long that it is time to change the equation. Every four years, Democrats are routinely reelected to the less visible statewide offices. Every four years, Republicans promise a slate of strong and credible candidates for every state office. Every four years, they fail. The smug Democrats and the hapless Republicans offer unappetizing choices so often that voters yearn for the chance to register their objection to this cozy arrangement. This year offers a splendid opportunity and an excellent candidate. The Boston Globe endorses Barbara F. Ahearn of Templeton for secretary of state. An accountant, an archivist and a genealogist, Ahearn once served as clerk of a corporation. She thus brings more qualifications to the office than her two opponents. Ahearn is a candidate of the Independent High Tech Party, formed as a protest against the Democratic and Republican parties by Leonard Umina, the engineer who failed to win the GOP gubernatorial nomination. The high-tech affiliation is particularly important for the secretary of state's office. Ahearn supports instant access to state records and documents -- via a local telephone call -- for all citizens with computers. Other states provide such access; Massachusetts lags far behind. In American politics, third parties perform like bumblebees: first they sting, then they die. On the state level, that initial sting can be significant. On a debate on Channel 56 Sunday night, after her two opponents slung mud at each other, Ahearn calmly said that "character assassination" had nothing to do with operating the office, for which she stated her qualifications succinctly and without bombast. She is the freshest breeze in Massachusetts politics in this wretchedly negative season. Barbara Ahearn, with little experience in politics but plenty in real life, wants a chance to shake up a sleepy state establishment. The Globe strongly endorses her for secretary of state. — The Boston Globe 30 October 1990

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WPI [Worcester Polytechnic Institute] heavyweight wrestler Mike Ahearne was named to the Division 3 All-Academic team. The junior had a 13-6-1 record this season. He was third in the New England Division 3 championships. — Worcester Telegram & Gazette 19 March 1991

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The End After 54 Years, Credits Roll for Usher Phil Ahern When 68-year-old Phil Ahern took his last tickets from film-goers at the Cineplex Odeon Embassy yesterday, it marked the end of a long career in Washington cinema. The lifelong movie buff has been an usher since 1937. It's been a pretty regular life for the native Washingtonian - 1 to 6 on weekends, 6 to closing on weekdays, tending to the lobby, shining up the door, mostly six or seven days a week - and one that has been witness to changes in the local film business, from the movie palaces built in the teens and twenties to the suburban multiplex theaters of today. Not much time for a social life or evening television, though. And a whole lot of time to see some pictures over and over again, missing others altogether. Ahern started out in the movie business by cleaning up small neighborhood theaters in Brookland in 1937 after his father died. He was 14 years old. The man he worked for had to pay him privately until he was 18 and old enough to be an usher-at 65 cents an hour. He's been a movie usher and ticket taker ever since. "You meet all kinds of people," he says. "I didn't think of doing anything else." He's led people to their seats in the dark at theaters that were torn down before many in today's audiences were born. Things were different when the main attractions were preceded by newsreels and cartoons and serials. It was an event when people went to the movies in the grand old theaters on and off Pennsylvania Avenue - the Palace, the Metropolitan, the Warner. They dressed up - open-collared shirts for the men and nice dresses for the ladies - and they minded their manners too. "You'd better believe it," says Ahern. And as he sees it, the movies they went to had substance. "Mutiny on the Bounty" (the first film he ever saw), "Spartacus," "My Fair Lady," "Ben Hur." It didn't matter if you saw one of those films over and over again. "I'm particular about my movies," he says. " 'Robin Hood' with Errol Flynn, Bogart, Cagney, westerns - those I could watch a couple of times." Not like today. Back then, despite his schedule, he'd find a way to see movies at competing theaters - as long as they were action pictures or comedies. In fact, he still likes a good comedy. He's seen "What About Bob?" five times and "Thelma & Louise" twice. But the profanity and violence that inhabit today's cinema are not his style. He doesn't like horror films either. "Nightmare on Elm Street" really upset him. "There wasn't violence in movies like it is now. There's just too much blood." He liked the clientele better then too. "A gentleman would open a door for a lady. I don't see that anymore," he laments. But he's learned to deal with the manners of today and can spot the problem customers before they hit the refreshment stand. He believes in being firm with rowdies, but he doesn't believe in arguing. "It doesn't get you anywhere," he says. And, always sporting a coat and tie, he maintains his own personal dress code. "All my life," he says. "When you're dealing with the public, you've got to look neat." "He gets more respect than I do," says the Embassy's manager, Alex Clayborn, 23. "The audience won't bother Phil, but they'll yell at me." John F. Kennedy was one of Ahern's better-mannered customers when he showed the president and Mrs. Kennedy to their seats at the Warner Theater. "He said I was doing a good job," Ahern remembers. Another bright memory is the world premiere of "Cleopatra," held at the Warner on a night when the heavens opened, deluging stars Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Taylor (and the red carpet that led from the curb to the theater) in thunderstorms and snow. The introduction of popcorn (and later on, buttered popcorn) was another milestone. Ahern remembers it took everybody a while to get the hang of the butter, which used to leak through the seams in the 25-cent boxes. His duties haven't changed all that much from the days when folks lined up around the block to see the latest film, and Ahern led people to their seats. Now he takes tickets, but he still keeps the theater clean. He finally decided to retire because his landlady left town. A frail man, he'd been thinking about it for a couple of years anyway. This week he's heading off to his younger sister Margaret's home in Frederick, far away from the Dupont Circle area, where he's been working since 1978. He doesn't have a car, so he won't be coming in to visit the theater. "It will be weird," he allows, guessing he'll spend more time watching television, maybe even at night. (Until recently, he's mostly watched the daytime soaps.) There will, of course, be a period of adjustment. But it's a new life, and he says he's not upset. "I'm going to miss the old place," he admits. But there's always a future for a guy like Ahern. He's looking for a movie theater in Frederick that might be able to use a man of his talents. "Maybe on weekends," he says. — The Washington Post 1 July 1991

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MOSELEY GREW UP AROUND RAILROADS People around Moseley used to know exactly when John T. Ahern was passing through on the Southern Railway. Ahern, a Southern engineer for 45 years, drove on the line between Richmond and Danville from the turn of the century into the 1930s. Twice a day, he passed within a half-mile of Magnolia Hill, his family's home. At those times, he treated friends and neighbors, many of whom had farms in the area, to a train-whistle serenade. Ahern played "Old Oaken Bucket" on his way out in the morning and "Home Sweet Home" on his way back in the evening. Thelma Blankenship, who lives on Genito Road, remembers hearing the tunes. "You could always tell when Mr. Ahern was coming through," said Mrs. Blankenship, a longtime Moseley resident and former community postmaster. Ahern, who died in 1937, moved his family from Richmond to the Moseley community in Chesterfield County in 1905. His two eldest daughters, 89-year-old Constance Ahern and 84-year-old Marian Ahern, still live near Magnolia Hill. "We're lucky people," Miss Marian Ahern said of their having spent their lives in the area. Mrs. Blankenship and her husband, Stuart Blankenship, live about a mile away on Genito Road, across from his family's old homeplace. While Moseley was a railroad town years ago, she said, "I don't think we get over two trains a day" passing through any more, "where we used to have 12." The town of Moseley, originally called Moseley's Crossing or Moseley's Junction, grew up around a railroad station in Powhatan County in the latter half of the 19th century. There, Tidewater and Western narrow-gauge tracks once crossed the Southern Richmond-Danville line. As railroad passenger and freight service to the area flourished and gradually declined, so did the town. When longtime residents refer to Moseley, they generally mean the area around the former junction of the tracks, the post office and the stretch of homes right along Moseley Road on either side of the county line. The Moseley Post Office, located just over the dividing line in Powhatan, serves about 750 homes. While its service area is mapped out between Swift Creek Reservoir and Amelia County, the boundaries of the former town are not as finite. "There really is no community per se" as far as boundaries on a map, said Moseley Postmaster Tommy Ligon. "All the stores have closed, the only thing operating is a lumber yard, and, in fact, the Post Office is going to move too, sometime later this year." The new location, he said, will be in Skinquarter, just north of Hull Street Road. Ligon said the postal service area is almost entirely in Chesterfield. While that area is relatively large, the former town itself makes up only a tiny portion of it. The community was named for one of the first families to settle in the area. Members of the Moseley family emigrated to Virginia from Holland and settled in what is now Chesterfield and Powhatan by the early 1700s, said Lucille Moseley, director of the Chesterfield County Museum Complex and wife of family patriarch Edward A. Moseley. Generations later, Moseleys continue to work the family farm on Mount Hermon Road, where the oldest of two houses on the property was built in 1818. Moseley says he's not likely to relocate, adding that he's never really considered it. "I guess where you're born and raised, you get a sentimental feeling for it," he said. "Especially now, I like the seclusion of it." The children of his oldest son, Bruce Moseley, are the sixth generation of Moseleys to live on the family farm, called Anndale. Some of their forebears are at rest in a family burial plot on the property. "I don't think we'd want to change our address," the senior Moseley said. When the railroad began running through the area, pulpwood, lumber, bricks and tobacco were shipped by rail out of Moseley. And residents commuted to jobs in Richmond and to school in Midlothian by train. Besides numerous family farms, the area also supported three lumber mills and three grocery stores in the early 1900s. Some of the farms and a branch of the N. B. Goodwyn & Sons Inc. lumber business are still in operation. But as automobile traffic increased on Midlothian Turnpike after World War II, railroad traffic to and from Moseley began to decrease. Southern Railway passenger service to and from the community was discontinued in the 1950s, and freight service was discontinued in 1971. Tidewater & Western's steel rails were pulled up and sold for use in war-torn Europe in 1917. The community "really had a downward trend for a long time," Mrs. Blankenship said. But residential development in the Chesterfield portion of Moseley is on the rise. Ligon says he sees daily evidence of residential growth within the Moseley postal district -- in the increased mail volume and number of delivery sites. "I've been here nine years now, and I would say it's probably doubled." As subdivisions spring up, he said, the area is being transformed from a "typical railroad town" to "typical Chesterfield County." Even so, Blankenship said, except for morning and evening commuter traffic on Genito Road, "it's still quieter here than most places" in northern Chesterfield. Some motorists, he said, seem to find Moseley by accident. "We get a lot of people who get turned around in Brandermill" and follow Genito Road north, trying to get to Richmond. "I think a lot of people miss Moseley" in their travels to surrounding areas, Mrs. Blankenship said. But within the community, many people maintain close ties to their neighbors. Few of the houses along and off of Moseley Road today had been built when the Ahern sisters were growing up 70 years ago. "Back in those days, (friends and relatives) would come to spend the day with you" to compensate for travel time, Miss Marian Ahern recalled. Today, she and her sister are surrounded by a host of nieces and nephews and their children, who live nearby. "And we've got some of the best neighbors," she said. About three years ago, Mrs. Blankenship recalled, when her husband suffered a broken hip on their front porch, she made two phone calls to neighbors for assistance in getting him into the house. "I know that in 15 minutes there were a dozen men here to help me get him inside," she said. Even though many Moseley residents live out of sight of their neighbors, "it's a close community," said the Rev. George Fleming, pastor of Mount Hermon Baptist Church at the corner of Mount Hermon and Genito roads. "People try to stay in touch with each other." Mount Hermon, a daughter congregation of Skinquarter Baptist Church, was formed in 1834. The church building dates to 1859. Mr. Fleming has been pastor of the church for 20 years. He said that when he first arrived the congregation consisted mostly of older adults, members of some of Moseley's founding families. But in the last 10 years, he said, new families and younger faces have been turning up as a result of residential development. Ron and Pam Hatcher, who live in the Hunter's Ridge subdivision, which is about a mile from the church, moved into their home about seven years ago. Their children, 6-year-old Stacy and 10-year-old Corey, attended Grange Hall Elementary School this past school year. "It seems very stable," Mrs. Hatcher said of the community. "We don't anticipate going anywhere, probably, until (Corey and Stacy) are out of school." When she and her husband first saw the area, she said, "the rural area is what we were looking for, less populated. "Of course, that's all changed now" as the result of subdivisions being devloped. Still, "I think it's very peaceful out here." — Richmond News Leader 17 July 1991

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Is the Mass. drinking age of 21 too high? The drinking age in Massachusetts should be lowered because if we can go to war then we should be able to drink.—Nicole Ahern, 18, Pembroke — Boston Herald 29 July 1991

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Make 'em Laugh, Kids! Clowning around, the bane of most elementary school teachers, was actually encouraged Tuesday at Plymouth Creek Elementary School in Plymouth, as Kenny Ahern, a clown with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus taught a class in clowning skills. Top, Ahern helped Kristi Parks, who couldn't seem to get the old rub-the-stomach-and-pat-the-head trick. Above, Brian Golden practiced an original face creation, while Cassie Hirschey, right, put on a classic face suggested by Ahern. The clown-skills workshop was also given at three other schools and City Center shopping mall in Minneapolis. The circus is giving 10 performances at Target Center today through Sunday. Meanwhile, the Shrine Circus is also in town, today through Sunday at Met Center in Bloomington. — Minneapolis Star Tribune 9 October 1991

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Parents find body of slain daughter The body of a Greenfield woman who police believe was killed seven to 10 days ago was discovered yesterday by her parents inside her James Street home. Kathleen Ahearn, 42, of 107 James St., died of blunt trauma injuries a week to 10 days ago and was discovered by her parents when they went to feed her cat, according to state police Lt. Thomas Soutier of the Northwestern District Attorney's Crime Prevention and Control Unit. Soutier said Ahearn had not been reported as missing because her parents and neighbors believed she was out of town and did not expect her to be home. Soutier declined to identify the woman's parents. Soutier said that Ahearn was unemployed, and many people in the neighborhood said they would probably recognize her if they saw her, but did not know her by name. One woman who lives next door at 103 James St. and declined to give her name, said that Ahearn was "the woman next door," but she didn't know the victim's name or anything about her. Asked whether police have any suspects in the case, Soutier said, "We're checking every possible avenue, but we have no specific suspect at this point." The discovery of Ahearn's body comes during the fourth annual Week of Awareness, which was started in response to the killings of four women, one in Greenfield and three in Turners Falls, in 1988 and 1989. The commemoration is intended to keep attention focused on the prevention of violence, especially violence against women. As word of the killing spread through the neighborhood, many residents of the street came to see the scene and to ask questions about what had happened. None of those people knew who lived in the modern duplex in the residential area. Other people who lived in the area immediately around Ahearn's apartment either declined to speak about the victim or didn't know her. Soutier said neighbors called Ahearn's parents because they could see a cat inside the apartment and thought it would need to be fed. When her parents arrived shortly after noon yesterday, they discovered their daughter's body. Ahearn's car was not at the apartment, which was also consistent with her being away for a vacation, Soutier said. Although police do not know where her car is, Soutier said he doesn't know whether the fact that it is not at her home is suspicious. The motive for the killing remains unclear as well. Soutier said last night that investigators have not been able to determine whether anything was taken from the apartment, or whether Ahearn was sexually assaulted. Soutier said it was difficult to tell whether there had been a struggle between Ahearn and her assailant because the apartment was "not well kept," but he said there were no signs of forced entry to the apartment. Soutier declined to say in which room she had been found. Police were on the scene late last night, and at press time, Ahearn's body was still inside the house. A state police chemist was on the scene, as were several troopers from the CPAC unit and Greenfield Police detectives. Ahearn's killing bears no apparent link to the abduction and murder last week of Agawam store clerk Lisa Ziegert, Soutier said. Since the 1988-89 string of murders ended, this is the first in Franklin County. The cat, a long-haired black and white animal, will probably be taken to an animal shelter, Soutier said. — Springfield Union-News 28 April 1992

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Man held in slaying of woman Greenfield victim lived with suspect Police yesterday were holding a Springfield man in connection with the slaying of a Greenfield woman with whom he had been staying after they met at an alcohol treatment center a month ago. Kenneth P. Atkins, 47, was being held on $50,000 cash or surety bail last night after he was arrested earlier in the day. He is being held at the Cheshire Medical Center where he is being treated for "severe withdrawal," said Keene police Capt. Hugh McLellan. Atkins is being held as a fugitive from justice in the slaying of Kathleen Ahearn, 41, of 107A James St., who was found dead at her home Monday afternoon. His arraignment in connection with the murder charge is scheduled tomorrow, said McLellan. Atkins was arrested by Keene police, acting on information from Massachusetts authorities, yesterday at about 6 a.m. Ahearn's car, a red 1985 Mercury Topaz, was spotted outside the Valley Green Motel, and a police tactical team was called to the scene, said McLellan. When police confronted him, Atkins said, "I knew you guys would be coming." Atkins, who had been staying at the Valley Green since Saturday night, was arrested without incident, McLellan said. Keene police listed Atkins' last known address as 13 Wigwam Place, Springfield. That address could not be confirmed last night. Atkins was initially arrested on a 1990 Springfield warrant charging him with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He has been in default since May 5, 1991, when he failed to show up in District Court on the charges, said Judy G. Zeprun, first assistant district attorney in Hampden County. Greenfield Police Chief David McCarthy said yesterday he expects that Atkins will be arraigned today in Keene District Court on being a fugitive from the murder charge. Massachusetts State Police Detective Lt. Thomas Soutier said yesterday that Atkins and Ahearn met at the end of March or the beginning of April at the Beacon Clinic detoxification center in Greenfield. He declined to say whether they were living together, but the arrest warrant listed Atkins' address as 107A James St. Ahearn was found dead Monday inside her home by her parents, Earl and Ann Adams of Greenfield, after they went there at a neighbor's request to feed her cat. Police believe she had been dead for seven to 10 days. Both the neighbor and the parents believed that Ahearn was out of town, so no one had reported her as missing, police said. Police said an autopsy conducted yesterday showed that Ahearn had died as the result of blunt trauma injuries to the head, but declined to say what instrument might have caused the injuries. She was not employed. "There were numerous items taken from the scene for forensic analysis," said state police trooper Leonard Von Flahtern III. At his arraignment yesterday, Atkins wore hospital pajamas because police had taken his clothes as possible evidence in Ahearn's killing. He was shaking, and his court-appointed lawyer, Mark Cameron, said he was suffering from delirium tremens. During the middle of his arraignment, court officials had to bring him a chair so he could sit down. At the hearing yesterday in Keene, Atkins' lawyer said his client would not waive extradition to return to Massachusetts to face the cocaine distribution charge in Springfield, and a hearing on the matter was set for May 28. The longest amount of time that a fugitive from justice can be held in New Hampshire without a further hearing is 30 days. Keene's Capt. McLellan said Atkins' arrest came about an hour after Massachusetts authorities issued a bulletin to police departments throughout New England with a description of Ahearn's car, which was missing from her house. Von Flahtern said the same bulletin also sought information about Atkins, and notified New England police departments that Atkins was wanted on the drug warrant, and for questioning in Ahearn's killing. McLellan said there are no charges pending against Atkins in New Hampshire, other than being a fugitive from the Massachusetts authorities. Police said yesterday they still don't know the motive for the killing, or whether there was a fight before she died. — Springfield Union-News 29 April 1992

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Police called to dispute with Ahearn Police had responded to a loud argument between Kathleen Ahearn and her roommate, who is now being held in New Hampshire pending extradition to face the charge of murdering her. State Police Detective Lt. Thomas Soutier said yesterday that Greenfield Police responded to an argument between Kathleen Ahearn, 41, and Kenneth P. Atkins, 47, on April 16 at her 107A James St. duplex, only a day or so before police believe she was murdered. Both parties were questioned, and no one was injured in the incident, Soutier said. No arrests were made. "It was just a routine disturbance—a loud quarrel," Soutier said. Soutier said the medical examiner's autopsy and other information from the investigation indicate that Ahearn died between April 17 and 19 as the result of blunt injuries to the head. Meanwhile, counselors at a women's center and the victim/witness assistance program in the district attorney's office reported an increase in the number of women expressing fears for their safety. "The impact this has on people is increased fear, a sense of vulnerability—that if it can happen to one woman, it can happen to any of us," said Kathleen O'Neill Alexander, director of Victim/Witness Assistance for the Northwestern Office of the District Attorney. Atkins was being held yesterday without right to bail after being arraigned in Keene on a charge of being a fugitive from justice from Massachusetts in connection with Ahearn's murder. Although several items capable of causing Ahearn's injuries were taken from the scene, police said that a hammer recovered from Ahearn's bedroom was probably the murder weapon. Soutier declined to describe it as such. "I'd hate to say that and then be wrong," he said. Ahearn's body was discovered Monday by her parents, Earl and Ann Adams of Greenfield, who went to her apartment to feed her cat. Both her parents and some neighbors believed that Ahearn was out of town at the time. Meanwhile, Soutier said that bank records of Ahearn's account were one of the ways that they were able to tell that their suspect was in the general area. In addition to Ahearn's car, an automatic teller machine card was also missing from her apartment, and police were able to tell from records of the account that someone was using the card in the area. Atkins was in possession of Ahearn's car when he was arrested Tuesday after police spotted Ahearn's car parked outside the Valley Green Motel. Atkins was arrested and held on a 1991 warrant from Springfield District Court charging him with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and Massachusetts authorities obtained an arrest warrant later that day charging him with Ahearn's murder. Atkins, who police said is addicted to both alcohol and cocaine, was being held at the Cheshire Medical Center, where he was being treated for withdrawal symptoms, under police guard yesterday. — Springfield Union-News 30 April 1992

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WESTBORO DISTRICT COURT Judge Paul Waickowski Brigid Ahern, 21, of 104 Southwest Cutoff, Northboro, charged with illegal possession of cocaine, continued without finding for six months; carrying a dangerous weapon, dismissed. — Worcester Telegram & Gazette 19 April 1993

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Most Speakers at Alexandria Hearing Want Condoms in School The Alexandria School Board heard emotional pleas last night to give condoms to high school students who want them. Most speakers at a public hearing said the AIDS threat far outweighs any moral questions that the proposal raises. Some speakers, wearing red ribbons and choking back tears, said telling teenagers not to have sex is not enough protection against AIDS. "We're dealing with a lost generation, a generation that is on the verge of killing itself," said Marie George. About 40 people spoke at the hearing, and backers of the proposal outnumbered opponents by almost 3 to 1. The School Board has not set a date for action on the proposal, which the city PTA Council put forward in December. The District school system is the only public school system in the area in which condoms are handed out to students upon request. Although supporters dominated last night's hearing, those who attacked the condom distribution plan were equally fervent. If the proposal is approved, "the school would certainly be giving the indication that sexual activity is expected," said Agnes Finn. "We are taking a defeatist approach to the teen sexual crisis," she said. The Alexandria proposal also calls for expanding the AIDS curriculum and establishing a program for teaching parents about the disease. However, the condom proposal has generated most of the controversy. A health department clinic for teenagers has given out condoms to young Alexandrians since 1988. When the clinic opened, the high teenage pregnancy rate, not AIDS, was the primary focus. The clinic is about a block from Alexandria's only high school, T.C. Williams. Under the PTA plan, volunteer teachers and administrators trained in AIDS counseling and education would give out condoms at the school. "I know that many students are not using any protection," said T.C. Williams sophomore Maggie Ahearn. "They need help. Without it, my friends are going to die." One of Ahearn's classmates said that she is expecting a baby in July and wished that condoms had been available at the school last year, before she became pregnant. Richard Flynt, a father of three teenage boys, said, "I'm here because I'm scared. I'm scared to death" by the AIDS epidemic. Flynt said school officials have to make young people "as scared as we are." But Scottie Alley said condoms are unsafe. "Why encourage our young people to trust their lives to a thin piece of latex?" she said. "Schools shouldn't be reluctant to tell their students to just say no." — The Washington Post 28 May 1993

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Drifter, 48, sentenced to life for beating death of woman A drifter with a long-term drug and alcohol abuse problem was sentenced to life in prison yesterday after he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the beating death of Kathleen Ahearn last spring. Kenneth Atkins, 48, who stayed with Ahearn in her James Street apartment after the two met in a local detoxification center, told the court he remembered hitting Ahearn on the head twice with a claw hammer, which was found at the scene. Atkins was arrested about 10 days after the killing at a motel in Keene, N.H., where he was found driving Ahearn's car and using her automatic teller-machine card. During the time between her death and his arrest, Atkins used the card to withdraw more than $2,000 from the woman's bank account. Assistant District Attorney David S. Ross said the prosecution would have used statements that Atkins made to police in New Hampshire, in which he admitted killing a woman with a hammer. Ahearn's body was found on April 27, about 10 days after police believe she was killed. She was lying face-down on a mattress in her bedroom. A hammer was found a short distance from her body wrapped in a towel, Ross said. She was found by her parents, who were called by a neighbor who had noticed that Ahearn's car was gone, and that her cat seemed to be locked inside the house. Atkins testified yesterday that he had found the hammer on the kitchen counter, and that he had a clear memory of hitting Ahearn on the head twice. Franklin County Superior Court Judge Richard Connon asked Atkins if he had intended to kill Ahearn when he hit her, and he replied, "I don't believe so, your honor. I don't think I did." Atkins said he and Ahearn had been drinking and using crack cocaine for several days before the incident. Atkins was initially charged with first degree murder, but Ross said the prosecution agreed to the plea to the lesser offense based on the evidence in the case and to avoid the cost and risks of a trial. Atkins also pleaded guilty yesterday to one count each of larceny of a vehicle (Ahearn's car) and larceny in a building. These charges were filed. In addition to imposing a life sentence, Connon also ordered that $684 recovered from Atkins be turned over to Ahearn's estate. — Springfield Union-News 4 June 1993

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation's top official in Arizona has been suspended a few days before his scheduled retirement because of his published criticism of Attorney General Janet Reno. The official, James Ahearn, who has been with the agency for 35 years, was placed on administrative leave with pay on Tuesday for his comments in an interview on Feb. 13 in The Arizona Republic, an F.B.I. spokesman, Dean St. Dennis, said on Wednesday. In the interview, Mr. Ahearn questioned Ms. Reno's ability to run the Justice Department, which includes the F.B.I., and criticized her for rejecting a plan to merge the bureau and the Drug Enforcement Administration. "When she first was appointed, I was excited," Mr. Ahearn said in the interview. "Here was a prosecutor from Florida who I thought could do an excellent job. But she went to Washington and forgot that she's the nation's prosecutor. She's become a social worker." Mr. Ahearn, 53, said Wednesday that he did not regret speaking out. Although Mr. Ahearn retires as scheduled on Monday, Mr. St. Dennis said suspending him was appropriate. — New York Times 25 February 1994

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Former Boston FBI head honcho James Ahearn is probably taking an old Yogi Berra maxim to heart today: "It ain't over till it's over." On his way to retirement after 35 years at the FBI, the head of the Phoenix office took a few shots at Attorney General Janet Reno in The Arizona Republic newspaper, calling her a "social worker" and saying a plan to merge the DEA and FBI "went right over her head." The 53-year-old Ahearn was suspended with pay Tuesday night by FBI Director Louis Freeh — less than a week before he was to step down. "The director just felt comments made were a violation of our policies and improper," Washington FBI spokesman Mike Kortan said yesterday. "He was placed on administrative leave with pay until he retires." Kortan said Freeh made the decision on his own without urging from Reno. A Justice Department spokesman declined comment. After first saying Ahearn was retired, an FBI secretary said he was unavailable for comment on his suspension. In the Feb. 13 story, Ahearn said he was retiring because he was "sick of the bureaucracy." His initial hopes for Reno were dashed, he said, when she "went to Washington and forgot she's the nation's prosecutor. She's become a social worker." Ahearn's comments were apparently prompted by Reno's public speeches, which emphasize early childhood care to combat crime. Ahearn also reportedly accused Reno of succumbing to political pressure in her decision not to support an FBI-DEA merger. Even though the article mentioned that Ahearn was nursing a vodka as he was interviewed in a bar, Kortan said Ahearn told Freeh that the newspaper's version of his words was "accurate." Former Boston colleagues said they weren't surprised at the plainspoken Ahearn's words — just the timing and the reaction. — Boston Herald 25 February 1994

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MAN CHARGED IN BURNING OF SARASOTA BAR SARASOTA — A spurned suitor allegedly burned down a Sarasota bar where a female acquaintance worked as a dancer, Sarasota police officials said Friday. Thomas J. Ahern, 53, of 655 Madison Court, Sarasota, was charged with arson. He was held without bond Friday at the Sarasota County jail pending a Saturday court appearance. According to police reports, Ahern was spotted by a Sarasota sheriff's deputy who was driving by the Score Board Lounge, 323 S. Washington Blvd., about 2:30 a.m. Friday. Ahern was crouched near a small fire near a rear door. Ahern was arrested and a small can of gasoline was recovered, but the wood-frame structure was completely destroyed, reports said. Ahern told investigators he did not like the bar's owner and he was angry with a dancer who promised to spend the night with him for $100, reports said. Ahern told investigators he gave the woman $50 and she would not go out with him, reports said. Five firefighters were injured while battling the blaze, which took about four hours to extinguish, reports said. Four firefighters were treated at the scene; one was treated for a shoulder injury and released from the hospital. — Bradenton Herald 19 March 1994

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Priest Gets Acquitted of Molestation Charge PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Roman Catholic priest was acquited Monday of molesting a 16-year-old but convicted on a lesser charge. Thomas K. Ahearn, 56, of Bethel, Conn. was cleared of indecent assault and furnishing alcohol to a minor. He was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Ahearn was pastor of St. Pius X Church in Middletown from 1981-1984. Ahearn had been accused of picking the boy up in January 1993 while on a ski trip. He allegedly plied the boy with alcohol, fondled him, then took him to a motel in Lenox, where he fondled him. Ahearn admitted serving the boy Scotch whiskey, saying: "It's very poor judgment. It's not my practice." Ahearn's lawyers said the boy, who was a runaway from a school for emotionally troubled youths, approached the priest and asked for help. Ahearn testified that he took the boy back to his room to counsel him. A jury in Central Berkshire District Court took an hour to reach its verdict after a week-long trial before Judge James B. McElroy. Sentencing was set for 9:30 a.m. today. Ahearn was assigned to St. Mary's parish in Bethel when he was arrested Jan. 21, 1993. The Roman Catholic Diocese immediately relieved him of his duties. — Hartford Courant 8 March 1994

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Koppel's Son Started ATM Fight, Jury Told But Accused Says He Was Defending Himself The son of ABC-TV's Ted Koppel started a fight with a Senate aide at a Capitol Hill bank machine last year, punching him, splitting his nose open and causing both his eyes to swell shut, a prosecutor charged yesterday. Andrew Koppel, 24, does not deny punching Patrick Ahearn, 30, in the Nov. 5 fight, said Mr. Koppel's attorney to a D.C. Superior Court jury yesterday. But he said Mr. Ahearn started the fight and Mr. Koppel was only trying to defend himself. "The aggressor was Patrick Ahearn, not Mr. Koppel," attorney Gerald Fisher told jurors. The fight began about 10:30 p.m. at an automated teller machine in the 400 block of North Capitol Street near Union Station. "Mr. Koppel approached [Mr. Ahearn], saying, `You think you're so cool standing in that suit. You must work on Capitol Hill,' " said Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Gansler yesterday. "He wasn't dressed the way he is today. He had on a brown leather coat, army fatigues and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth," Mr. Gansler said, pointing to Mr. Koppel in a double-breasted suit. Mr. Ahearn, an aide to Georgia Republican Sen. Paul Coverdell, testified that he tried to ignore the remarks. "I was nervous, if anything. It was D.C., and you hear about things around money machines. I was thinking, 'Why did he pick me?' " said Mr. Ahearn, who has a visible scar down the bridge of his nose. After they both took money from the machine, Mr. Gansler said, a fight began, in which Mr. Koppel grabbed Mr. Ahearn by the lapels. Mr. Koppel was thrown against a wall and both men fell to the ground wrestling. When the tussle ended and Mr. Ahearn got up to leave, Mr. Koppel punched him in the face, the prosecutor said. After the fight, Mr. Koppel got into a cab and left. But the defense said Mr. Koppel was using the machine when Mr. Ahearn walked up and started telling him to hurry. "The person bumped him or shoved him from behind, making him drop his books," Mr. Fisher said. Mr. Koppel asked for an explanation, and the fight began when Mr. Ahearn would not provide an answer. Mr. Koppel told his father about the fight the next day and Ted Koppel asked a police public information officer to see if a report had been written. Police had been called and taken a report that night, but Mr. Fisher said the officer could not find one. He was arrested the next month during final exams in his first semester as a student at Georgetown Law School. The trial continues today. — The Washington Times 27 July 1994

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Andrew Koppel Avoids Jail in ATM Assault A Georgetown University law student was sentenced yesterday in D.C. Superior Court to three months' suspended jail time and one year's probation for assaulting a senator's aide at a Capitol Hill money machine. Andrew Koppel, 24, was ordered by Judge Arthur Burnett to pay more than $1,200 in hospital bills incurred by the victim, Patrick Ahearn, 30. Mr. Koppel also was ordered to seek alcohol counseling. Mr. Ahearn, who has a scar down his nose, testified during the July jury trial that he was standing in line at a money machine in the 400 block of North Capitol Street in November when Mr. Koppel walked up, said his suit looked cheap and assaulted him. "It's the first thing I think about in the morning and definitely the last thing I think of at night," the soft-spoken aide to Sen. Paul Coverdell, Georgia Republican, told the judge yesterday. "This is a violent attack. Mr. Ahearn was minding his own business at an ATM machine and ends up at the hospital," Assistant U.S. Attorney Doug Gansler said. Mr. Koppel, the son of ABC-TV's Ted Koppel, was convicted July 29 of the misdemeanor charge. He also spoke to the judge during yesterday's hearing. "Whatever sentence you deem fair for me . . . I'd like to just complete the sentence, finish law school and see if I can be accepted as a member of the bar, if they will have me," Mr. Koppel said. The elder Mr. Koppel, who anchors "Nightline," ABC's late-night news show, testified during the trial that he called the police on behalf of his son the day after the incident. He was not in court yesterday for the sentencing. — The Washington Times 5 October 1994

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A jury in federal court in Boston last week decided in favor of Paul Ahern, former manager of guitarist Tom Scholz of the band Boston, and awarded Ahern $547,000 for breach of contract in his lawsuit against Scholz. "I feel great, it totally vindicated me," said Ahern, who filed the lawsuit in 1991. But Scholz was understandably not so pleased. "I didn't think he was entitled to the money or I wouldn't have postponed the tour to fight it in court. The bottom line is that after living expenses, the money I get from royalties gets donated to a long list of charities." Ahern said that after several years of trying to get payments from Scholz, "he came up with an accounting that showed he owed me nothing, and that I was in fact, in the hole." So he sued, and over the course of the three-week trial, the jury saw it his way. Boston plans to go on tour early next year, Scholz said. — The Boston Globe 21 October 1994

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[photo] A passerby watches as Officer John Ahern (center) searches the pockets of James Anderson. Ahern and his partner, Officer Ed Rautenberg, witnessed Anderson make what the officers considered a suspicious exchange with another man on Beach Street. The officers, who had previously arrested Anderson on drug charges, found no drugs in his possession or on the sidewalk. However, they found a checkbook in his pocket that belonged to a Rhode Island woman. Anderson said he found the checkbook in a taxi. The officers confiscated the checkbook. Anderson was not arrested. — The Boston Globe 24 October 1994

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Traffic Ticket Leads to Suicide A teenager whose family was burdened by crushing medical bills apparently threw himself to his death off a bridge after getting a $154.50 speeding ticket. "He was very upset about it because he didn't know where he was going to get the money, and he knew his mother didn't have the money to pay it." said Chuck Fowler, the father of one of Lambert Hillman's friends. The 16-year-old boy was last seen walking along the Monongahela River on March 16, the same day he was cited for driving his mother's car at 72 miles per hour in a 45 zone. His body was found floating in the river Monday. After he disappeared, police searched the rocky riverbank in New Eagle, a small town about 15 miles south of downtown Pittsburgh. Believing that her son had run away, Hillman's mother, Kathy O'Hern, pleaded through the news media for him to return, saying he should not worry about the ticket. "Together, we can handle anything," she said. Relatives said a series of family troubles and setbacks at school and in sports had depressed the boy, a junior class vice president who played hockey and loved country-and-Western line dancing. Martin O'Hern, the stepfather with whom Hillman had been living for the past 10 years, died of cancer in December after exhausting the family's medical insurance, Fowler said. Hillman's father, Richard Hillman, said his son watched as O'Hern grew sicker and died at home. "That may have hurt him," the elder Hillman said. Fowler said the O'Herns were so strapped that they used their house as collateral to obtain a loan to pay thousands of dollars in bills. "You had a 16-year-old kid, and he's taking calls from the hospital and the creditors," Fowler said. "He became aware of and involved in things that a kid just shouldn't have to deal with." Hillman's father said the boy had hurt a shoulder and broken a thumb playing football for Ringgold High School last fall and had dislocated the same shoulder at a hockey rink this winter. "That's when you could see that he was really down, because he couldn't go to weight training and do what he wanted to do," Hillman said. On Tuesday, the Allegheny County coroner's office said Hillman drowned but that it had not yet determined whether the teenager killed himself. But police officer Tim Ashcroft said it was probably a suicide. Ashcroft said Hillman apparently jumped into the muddy river from a bridge near where bloodhounds picked up his scent. Earlier that evening, after receiving the ticket, Hillman had visited his friend Justin Fowler. The elder Fowler offered to pay the ticker, and the boys went to a district justice's office to make an appointment to settle the fine. Hillman accepted the Fowlers' invitation to spend the night but said he first wanted to visit his girlfriend at the restaurant where she worked. The two met, but he never went back to the Fowlers' house. Peter L. Sheras, a psychologist at the University of Virginia, said Lambert's death fit a pattern familiar to suicide experts: A series of misfortunes causes a person to lose hope, and then any setback can push the person over the edge. — Associated Press March 1995

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Chico Cop Shot Suspect Found Hiding in Yard After Police Close Off Mall Neighborhood Chico Police Officer Rod O'Hern was shot in the face Tuesday by a 16-year-old who didn't want to see his friend go to jail for shoplifting. The alleged shooter, Nicholas Bart Ellis of Chico, was captured within two hours in a nearby residential neighborhood. The handgun was found nearby. Ellis is in custody on a count of attempted murder. He's being held without bail in Butte County Juvenile Hall. O'Hern, 39, was stabilized at Enloe then transferred to Community Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery on his eye Tuesday night. He will have more surgery this week in San Francisco, police said. Shot at a distance of about 15 feet with a .38 revolver loaded with birdshot, O'Hern has two pellets embedded in his right eye. A 15-year veteran of Chico Police Department, he is in danger of losing his sight in that eye, according to the police chief. The officer also suffered multiple wounds to the mouth, cheekbones, forehead, arm and chest. He is in serious but stable condition. "I'm extremely proud of the dens [sic] Officer O'Hern made," said Chief Michael Dunbaugh. "In the process of taking care of everybody else, he became the victim. Fortunately, had an angel on his shoulder." At approximately 3 p.m., O'Hern went to Mervyn's department store at North Valley Plaza to pick up Joseph Perez, an alleged shoplifter store security had apprehended. It's the kind of thing cops do every day. Mervyn's security personnel had allegedly taken a loaded .357 handgun off the 17-year-old Perez, who also had both birdshot pellets and bullets in his pocket, the chief said. "But the shoplifter was very cooperative," the chief said. "On the way out he was even thanking Rod for being such a cool cop." O'Hern was leaving the store with the teenager when he was confronted by another young man, who pointed a handgun at the officer's head and demanded his friend - Perez - be let go. "O'Hern immediately released the shoplifter and put his arms out, assuring the kid with the gun that everything was fine. He handled it perfectly, just calmly trying to diffuse the situation," Dunbaugh said. The alleged shoplifter also tried to avoid a violent confrontation, the chief said, telling Ellis "Hey, I'm going with him, it's cool!" Even after Perez was released, he took just a few hesitant steps away. The officer drew his own gun and ducked down behind his patrol car. Ellis allegedly moved toward the car and pointed the gun at the place he'd seen O'Hern's head go down. When the officer looked up, the teenager allegedly pulled the trigger. Police at the scene said a chrome .38 Ruger Speed-Six loaded with snakeshot (or birdshot) was used. Despite his injuries, O'Hern stayed calm, the chief said, pressing the 11-99 or "officer down" button on his police radio. "He ambushed me. I've been shot in the face," he said. He gave a description of the suspect and his clothing, then added, "Witnesses are here helping me but my lungs are filling up with blood. I need medical help, pronto." The officer's face was covered with blood, some of which ran down his throat from a pellet wound and a shattered tooth in his mouth. "Rod did an outstanding job," Chief Dunbaugh said. "His first reaction was to protect the safety of the person he had in custody and other people in the area who might be in the line of fire. He made all the right decisions for all the right reasons." The injured officer has a 6-year-old son and his wife is expecting a baby, Chico police said Tuesday night at a press conference. Apparently, the injured officer recognized the 16-year-old shooter, as did several other officers in the area. The cops said he has a criminal history. Citizens who saw the shooting rushed to help the fallen officer, "providing first aid and comfort," said Dunbaugh. "I don't know who all of them are but I'm thankful and appreciative that people came to his aid, and I would like to personally thank them." Witnesses also pointed those searching for O'Hern's attacker in the right direction - north, toward the airport, police said. The hunt was on. Officers from Chico P.D., the Highway Patrol, Butte County Sheriff's Office and the county District Attorney's Office moved to cordon off an area of about a square mile north of the mall, according to Lt. Tony Aeilts. Police Capt. Jim Massie went to the hospital with O'Hern. No one was allowed into or out of the area, as off-duty officers came on to join the search. A sheriff's helicopter and search dogs joined in. But in the end it came down to sharp citizens and officers. An area resident was trying to get into his home in the search area to check on his wife and kids. He was stuck at the corner of Portal and Lorinda, waiting , when he noticed a guy on a bike peek around a hedge. He brought this to a police officer's attention, and she ran after the suspect, her gun drawn. The resident said the large young man "ditched the bike and dove to the pavement" in response to an order from officer Linda Young. The red mountain bike was left standing on its handlebars in the driveway of a neatly kept white house in the 800 block of Portal. Officers handcuffed the suspect, several witnesses to the shooting were driven past him in a police car. They reportedly positively identified him as the officer's attacker. The suspect is six feet tall and 200 pounds with a thin mustache. He was wearing black pants rolled to the knees, an inside out windbreaker and white tank shirt. He wore untied black sneakers and white socks. At the scene his hands were enclosed in two small paper bags secured with tape. Shortly thereafter Ellis underwent a gun shot residue test to indicate whether he had recently fired a weapon. His blood was also tested to determine whether he was under the influence of any substance. Results of the tests were not available. The alleged shoplifter, Perez, stayed at the department store the entire time and was taken into custody later without incident. Police said he was apprehended with stolen tennis shoes. — Enterprise-Record 1 March 1995

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BRMC Births MR. and MRS. GREGORY AHEARN (Kristin Nilsson) of Woburn announce the birth of their second child, a son, Ethan James, born on May 4, 1995, at the Boston Regional Medical Center. He joins his brother, Kyle Zachary. Grandparent honors are extended to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Nilsson and Mr. and Mrs. Gerard McDonough, all of Woburn. — Woburn Daily Times-Chronicle 17 May 1995

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HELP IN MINDING HOUSE MANNERS The House of Representatives, which prides itself these days on tightening a clawlike grip on the nation's purse strings, has hired its first director of protocol. The hiring of Pamela Gardner Ahearn by Sergeant at Arms Bill Livingood reflects "a renewed interest in matters of protocol,'' says the Hill. Livingood sent representatives a letter saying that the adviser will be available to offer advice on correct titles and forms of address, the making of polite introductions, determination of seating arrangements, mindfulness of cultural traditions and taboos and dietary restrictions. "You will find Mrs. Ahearn's assistance useful,'' wrote Livingood, "when planning the visit of a foreign leader to Capitol Hill, when making protocol arrangements for high-profile witnesses in committee hearings, when coordinating official meals and receptions in honor of international and national leaders, and when participating in official events hosted by leaders of other governments.'' The black shoes or the brown? Ahearn will be paid $62,000 a year. — San Francisco Chronicle 1 August 1995

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Patrick Ahern An Andover man died in a car crash Thursday in Corcoran. Patrick Ahern, 51, of 3620 157th Ave. N.W., died at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale about 10:45 a.m. He was airlifted there after his car slid into the path of an oncoming vehicle at Hennepin County Roads 30 and 116, according to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office. The accident occurred about 7:45 a.m. — St. Paul Pioneer Press 1 December 1995

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Mary Ambrose O'Hern was celebrating yet another birthday yesterday and contemplating the joys and frustrations of her 110 years on this earth. "I didn't think I'd live to be that age. I didn't want to live to be that age," she mused, her frail form covered by an afghan. Want to or not, she has outlasted the presidency of Grover Cleveland, the era of horse and buggy, the invention and demise of the telegraph, the incorporation of several new states, the deaths of her four brothers and sisters, the popularity of radio shows and vinyl records, and 13 years in a Williamstown, Mass., nursing home where death is a fact of life. She is among the oldest of Americans. The oldest known human with an authenticated birth date is 121 and living in France. Ms. O'Hern is left with her memories of joys past: a half century of working with children as an elementary school teacher and principal, reminiscing about family and playing softball with her long-dead but still beloved father, a birthday party and Catholic Mass on Saturday with dozens of relatives, friends and fellow residents of her nursing home. They didn't even try to put candles on her cake. — South Coast Today 13 March 1996

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CARS, BIG RIG COLLIDE, KILLING HICKORY MAN Rain-slick roads, a high-performance car and heavy traffic formed a lethal combination Tuesday as an accident on Interstate 40 outside Hickory left one man dead, two others injured and the interstate highway closed for more than an hour. N.C. Highway Patrol officials estimated that Michael Ahern, 33, was traveling 75 mph in the eastbound lane of I-40 during a driving rainstorm when he lost control of his Pontiac Trans-Am. The Hickory man's car crossed the median near Rock Barn Road at about 8:50 a.m. It slammed a Cadillac Fleetwood in the westbound lane driven by Rita Fox's of Conover, said Trooper J.J. Gable, who investigated the wreck. The two cars then collided with an 18-wheel truck loaded with furniture in the same lane. "That sent the tractor-trailer truck skidding across the median and into the eastbound lane of traffic," Gable said. "It ended up on its side, blocking traffic in that lane." It took emergency crews more than a hour to pull Ahern, Fox and truck driver Robert Whitson from the wreckage and get the interstate reopened, the trooper said. Motorists balanced checkbooks, talked on cellular phones, caught up on work and chatted between parked cars until the wreck was cleared, those caught in the traffic jam said. Ahern, an employee at CommScope in Claremont, was pronounced dead at the scene, Gable said. Fox, 48, was in stable condition at Catawba Memorial Hospital Tuesday. Whitson, 39, a driver for Overnight Transportation, was released after being treated at Frye Regional Medical Center. The wreck happened at rush hour on the interstate, which carries thousands of commuters every morning. "It's normally bumper-to-bumper at that time," the trooper said. "It was the work of the Lord or sheer luck that when that tractor-trailer was pushed over into the eastbound lane, there was a gap in the traffic or we'd have had a bunch of people killed." — The Charlotte Observer 1 May 1996

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SARATOGA'S SACRED HEART NAMES NEW PASTOR Alexander Larkin has been named pastor of Sacred Heart Catholic Parish in Saratoga. He replaces the Rev. Thomas Ahern who is retiring after 42 years of parish and prison chaplain work. Larkin is a former pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Palo Alto and director of Stanford's Newman Center. Since 1992, he has been Vicar for Parish and Pastoral ministry for the Catholic Diocese of San Jose. — San Jose Mercury News 29 June 1996

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Crosstown Express by Alan Lupo The stand-up routines took place as a gaggle of pols, do-gooders, city lovers and business people with a conscience, all representing a half-century of Boston history, gathered at Copley Square to honor Dan Ahern with a plaque and a plug for donations to a Boston Latin memorial fund in his name. This was appropriate, because there was no real Copley Square when Ahern took over the Back Bay Association in 1967 and later started the Back Bay Federation for Community Development. Ahern helped transform a deteriorating Back Bay into what it is today. Attorney Larry Perera, another key mover in that transformation, recalled for Ahern's friends and family, "The situation was grim. The Back Bay was in the throes of economic, social and architectural decay. It lacked a vision. Residential, institutional and political leaders were at one another's throats. Dan forged a coalition. "His vision was that constituents could develop their own future, an idea lost in the centralized planning that followed World War II. The community that's here today is the greatest testimony to Dan that we could have. "As a Marine Corps rifleman, Dan understood that victory meant closing with the enemy and holding your ground, street by street, block by block, even tree by tree.'' [Former Governor] Dukakis reminisced about Ahern riding the MBTA with him on the old Green Line cars "that you could guarantee would break down three days out of five. Dan and I were on a car one very hot summer day, when he said, 'The average temperature of a Green Line car is 60 degrees -- 90 degrees in the summer, 30 degrees in the winter.' '' Ahern died in 1977 at 51. — The Boston Globe 21 July 1996

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WHAT'S GOOD IN THE 'HOOD TEENS' KEEN EYES FIND OWN TRUTHS by Chris Garcia Give 45 teen-agers their own cameras, a loose rule or two about what to photograph and then send them off on a spree of snap-happy abandon. Sounds like you're just asking for the photo album from hell. That's what Rick Ahern did, but instead of winding up with a gauche gallery that glorifies the smoking, bubble gum-blowing, upright middle-finger underbelly of modern adolescence, what he got was a blissful revelation. He got art. A longtime community organizer for youths, Ahern recruited a broad cross-section of Santa Rosa youth—ages 13 to 18—to take pictures that captured ''what's good in their 'hood.'' ''Just something that makes you feel good,'' Ahern instructed them. That was all. Here's a camera with 12 exposures. Go into your neighborhood. Find what's good. Shoot it. When the teens brought back the cameras, donated by Kodak, Ahern took them to Unruh Photography Shop in Santa Rosa, where owner Bill Unruh processed, enlarged and mounted the best final 45 photos at no cost. The results make up an unusual exhibit titled ''What's Good in the 'Hood,'' which will show all night New Year's Eve inside The Dance Center of Sonoma County as part of First Night Santa Rosa. The display is slated to tour the county throughout 1997. As outreach coordinator for First Night, Ahern is also busy getting neighborhoods involved in constructing Mardi Gras-style puppets for the New Year's Eve event. A bearded bear of a man, sporting a baseball cap emblazoned with his other designation—''Puppetman''—Ahern fairly beams when discussing the photo project he instigated. ''It turned out great,'' he says. ''We got kids who never do anything—they're shy or introverted—to get involved. We got kids who are not the elite to get involved. We got a good cross-section and the kids had a good time.'' Handing over 45 disposable Kodak cameras to teen-agers, some of whom have been in trouble, is a dodgy proposition, Ahern admits. The plan originally included 50 kids with 50 cameras, but the vagaries of teen life—problems at home, school work, general flakiness—caused five to go AWOL. And of the 45 who completed the task, some ''got lost,'' a few were bit by the shutterbug and snapped only mugging photos of friends, and others didn't understand the assignment. But, mostly, the final prints were a happy surprise. While many of the things the kids deemed ''good'' in their neighborhood ''made eminent sense,'' says Ahern, ''very few really fit what I had imagined. There were a lot of sunsets. There's a cool one of a kid skateboarding. There's one of a kid on a playground that really got the essence of the community and the neighborhood. There's one of the fountain by Chevy's and Railroad Square. ''They would have been very different if I had taken them. But that's part of the magic of it.'' Ahern trawled youth centers, junior high and high schools for participants representing all of Santa Rosa's diverse neighborhoods—from South Park and Indian Village to the affluent MacDonald Avenue and Bennett Valley areas. ''My inclination is to work with kids other people don't like to,'' he says. ''I do inclusive with a capital 'I.''' He jokingly calls his forays into some of the nicer areas ''reverse slumming.'' ''I did not screen the kids. All I wanted was someone interested in taking the photos and who could commit to it.'' The cameras became conduits to each teen's world, and a means to lend local neighborhoods a distinct and subjective voice. ''I really wanted them to look at their neighborhoods in a different way,'' explains Ahern. ''But I didn't want them to take pictures of what I thought was good. So I gave them some examples without leading them on too much. I asked, 'What makes you feel good?''' Some of the pictures appear curiously random, even puzzling, at first glance: The drab exterior of a 7-Eleven market. A light post and the sun. A weed-enshrouded sign. ''A lot of people look at them and go, 'Well, what's this got to do with being good in the 'hood?' But at this stage you accept that this is good and try and understand,'' Ahern says. The teens don't get this attitude. They know what's good in their 'hood. You asked to see it. Here it is. Jaime Aguilera, 14, snapped the shot of the 7-Eleven. It's his neighborhood one-stop, a place to grab a snack, gab with friends and use the pay phone. It's what is good in his West Steele Lane 'hood. ''Every day I go there,'' says the Santa Rosa Middle School student. ''That's the only store around. Things in there are cheap and people meet their friends there.'' More important are the pay phones. ''Most people don't have phones in that neighborhood, so they just go there. We have a phone, but when someone pages me and my dad's on the phone, I go there.'' Aguilera also took pictures of a kid riding his bike and workers laying cement in a driveway, but he liked the 7-Eleven one best. ''It came out good.'' The sylvan environs of her Bennett Valley neighborhood caught 18-year-old Trish Browning's eye. A placid landscape shot, featuring a pond and a tree, is what she submitted to the exhibit. ''Where I live is really pretty,'' explains the Montgomery High senior and photo student. ''But I took the photo where there weren't any houses around, where it's peaceful. I felt that photographing something that was pretty would define what's good in my 'hood.'' The concept behind ''What's Good in the 'Hood'' boasts an urban genesis. Ahern heard about a similar youth project in New York before he saw the exhibit at a First Night conference in Denver and decided to try it here. ''I've wanted to do this for a long time,'' he says. ''I was trying to get someone to give us the cameras.'' He approached Bill Unruh last spring, originally seeking 200 cameras. Unruh got Kodak to donate 50 color disposable cameras that bore looming expiration dates. ''If people, when they go into this exhibit, let the photos talk to them, they may see their neighborhood in a different way,'' says Ahern. Which is ultimately the lesson learned by the fledgling photographers as well. ''It makes you realize that Santa Rosa is a small town filled with beautiful things,'' muses Browning. ''And if you really look for them, you can find them.'' — The Press Democrat 29 December 1996

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WITNESSES, ON THE STAND, DETAIL HOW WOMAN WAS SLAIN IN QUINCY DEDHAM—As family members sobbed, two eyewitnesses took the stand in Norfolk Superior Court yesterday and described how a man walked from the shadows, pointed a gun and killed Dawn Brown outside her family home in Quincy on July 10, 1993. When asked to identify the gunman, the witnesses pointed to the defendant, John Anthony Diaz—the jilted boyfriend of Dawn's lookalike sister, Kimberlee Brown Goldstein. The witnesses said Diaz, 28, formerly of Osterville on Cape Cod, appeared from behind a tree in the darkness, called out Goldstein's name and fired one shot into Dawn Brown's forehead. Diaz, who spent three years as a fugitive before he was captured in Guyana living under an assumed name, is charged with first-degree murder. The shooting unfolded as an engagement party was still going on in the yard of the home on Royal Street in Quincy, witnesses said. Dawn Brown, her boyfriend Mitchell Goldstein, and her nephew, Michael Ahern, then 13, had returned to the house about 11 p.m. after going to a Friendly's Restaurant for ice cream. As Mitchell Goldstein and Ahern, now 16, described the shooting on the witness stand, members of the Brown family sobbed. Mitchell Goldstein testified that as they got out of the car, Diaz approached them, his hands hidden under his sweatshirt. "He said 'Kim' and Dawn turned around," Goldstein said. Ahern told the jury that Diaz then "pulled out a gun and shot my aunt. She fell, and I ran inside the house," to get help. On the witness stand earlier yesterday, Kimberlee Brown Goldstein described her yearlong relationship with Diaz, whom she met at the Mill Hill Club in Yarmouth, where he worked as a bouncer. She described visiting him at his home on Cape Cod and at Springfield College, which he attended. "We had a lot of laughs at first," she said. But later the relationship "started to fizzle out. We were not walking in the same direction." Kimberlee Brown Goldstein said she moved to New Jersey to take a new job, and began dating Mitchell Goldstein's bother, David, whom she has since married. Upon breaking up with Diaz in September 1992, Kimberlee Brown Goldstein said he was angry and called her a "bitch." In his opening statement to the jury, Assistant District Attorney Gerald C. Pudolsky said Diaz was distraught over the breakup. "He just couldn't take it," the prosecutor said. Pudolsky said Diaz carefully planned the murder and his subsequent escape, obtaining a passport in the name of Gregory Grayson, a toddler who was killed on Cape Cod in 1971. Michael Fagin, a friend of Diaz's, testified that Diaz called him three days after the shooting and asked if he had killed Kimberlee. Told it was Dawn, not Kimberlee, who had died, Fagin said Diaz replied, "I can't believe it." "He said he didn't believe that he had done it," Fagin said. "He said he wasn't fit to live." — The Boston Globe 8 April 1997

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Police Liaison to Gay Community Cambridge police Sgt. Stephen P. Ahern last month became the first police liaison to the gay and lesbian community in Cambridge, one of only three such liaisons in the state. The 39-year-old former military reserve officer also announced he was gay, becoming the first openly gay police officer in the city. Ahern, who grew up in Cambridge and lives in Winchester, has accepted the job long requested by the city's gay and lesbian community. It is part of an effort by Police Commissioner Ronnie Watson to be more receptive to gays and lesbians. Globe reporter Jenifer B. McKim spoke to him about his new post. Q. What you will be doing in this new position? A. We are still working on that. I have gotten together with Sgt. Norman Hill in the Boston Police Department (Boston's liaison to the gay and lesbian community) and we are trying to build up lines of communication between the gay community and the Cambridge police. My job probably will be determined by the public. The commissioner has given me the OK to use whatever time is necessary to get the job done. I consider myself both an advocate for the police department and the gay community. Q. When do you start? A. I started April 10. I am doing my regular duties as traffic sergeant in charge of motorcycles, crossing guards, the the truck team and the accident investigation unit. I have been to one meeting with the Chamber of Commerce's gay subcommittee on April 10. Q. That's where you came out? A. Yes. I just retired with the military reserve. I wanted to protect my retirement. That is why I couldn't come out sooner. It is a pretty well known fact in the Cambridge Police Department that I am gay. Q. Why did you choose to come out? A. A lot of reasons. I think it is important that the community see that there are gay people in the police department. Gay people should not be afraid to come to the police department to report a crime. I think as a role model for the younger generation, they should see someone who is in law enforcement. I talk to people, and they assume that the police have this macho image. Q. How has the reception been? A. I am getting letters of support from average people. I had some concerns with people in the department. The commissioner was very supportive. He said that if I receive any hate mail or any graffiti that it would be treated as a hate crime. The city manager agrees with that position. I am the only out gay person in the Cambridge Police Department. There are more, I've talked to others, but they are not ready. Q. Have you had any problems? A. No. None. I feel much more comfortable talking about it. A lot of people have come up to me who told me they have a gay family member. Before I came out I had just assumed people felt uncomfortable talking about it. Now other people are waking up, they are actually saying the "g" word. Q. How has the relationship been between the police and the gay and lesbian community? A. I don't know if there has been a lot of conflict. I think there was a perception among both -- maybe they are just afraid of each other. I just assume the community thinks that in the police department, they don't care about gay people. It is not true. Q. What are the issues that the gay and lesbian community face? A. To be honest with you, I am not sure. I know the department is beginning sensitivity training, including same-sex domestic abuse and interview techniques for gay people. This will start in September. The department also has encouraged gay people to take the entry-level civil service police exam. Q. What is your message to the gay and lesbian community? A. Any problems, please feel free to contact us. We can work it out. Now is the time, come see me or call me. I hope I can do a good job. Sgt. Ahern works Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. He can be reached at 349-3300. — The Boston Globe 11 May 1997

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Michael Hartin, 29, of Somerville was arrested May 14 and charged with eight bike violations, as well as failing to stop for a police officer and failing to give his name, after he went through a red light and rode against the flow of traffic. Hartin, a bike courier, allegedly caused an injury when he knocked Patrol Officer Thomas Ahern off his bike. "The officer asked him repeatedly to stop his bike and he refused and stated, 'Go f--- yourself.' And as the officer pulled up next to him he pushed the officer or somehow the officer's bike fell to the pavement," said Pasquarello. Ahern was treated at Cambridge Hospital, said Lt. Timothy Hogan, a prosecutor for Cambridge police. — Cambridge Chronicle 26 June 1997

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McQueen's victim recalled as friendly RICHMOND—Each morning before his 7:30 work shift, William Teater stopped at the Minit Mart on Big Hill Avenue for a doughnut and a soft drink. He was greeted by Rebecca O'Hearn, a friendly young woman who knew him by name. On the morning of Jan. 18, 1980, his ritual was interrupted. He saw police cars in the parking lot and assumed the store had been robbed. When the door was unlocked he found something much worse: the manager was mopping up blood from behind the counter. Ms. O'Hearn had been shot by Harold McQueen during her night shift. The manager was crying, Teater said. ''He was standing there mopping the blood. It was something you never forget.'' McQueen was executed early today for Ms. O'Hearn's murder. On Monday evening, just a few hours before McQueen's execution, Teater entered the convenience store—now under different ownership—and greeted Wesley Masters, who was working the night shift. ''All of us thought so much of her,'' recalled Teater. Teater worked back then for a plumbing business and now works at a hospital. ''If you came in here in a bad mood, she would have you laughing.'' Teater said he also knew McQueen, who was a few years behind him in school. ''I feel bad for his family, especially his mother in Berea,'' Teater said. Teater said a conversation with Ms. O'Hearn the day before her murder is what stands out in his mind. ''She told me, "Just a few more days and I'm out of here and making some real money,' '' he said. Masters, meanwhile, said he tries not to think about what happened that night 17 years ago. ''If you get thinking about it, you just sit around nervous all night,'' he said. — The Cincinnati Post 1 July 1997

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Ex-firefighter Files Civil Rights Suit CHATHAM — The female Chatham firefighter who quit her job last summer after making accusations of sexual harassment has filed a civil rights suit against the town and Fire Chief William Schwerdtfeger. Susan Ahearn, who worked for the fire and rescue department for six years as a call firefighter, charges that Schwerdtfeger passed her up for promotions and training and tolerated an atmosphere in which she was harassed verbally by male employees. The suit, filed in Barnstable Superior Court, lists the town of Chatham, the fire, rescue and emergency service department and Schwerdtfeger as defendants. In November the state Commission Against Discrimination dismissed a complaint by Ahearn, finding there was lack of probable cause to continue it. Ahearn's attorney, Donald Mason of Barnstable, said the commission returns probable cause findings in only 12 percent of cases. Chatham Town Counsel Bruce Gilmore commented that in the new suit there appeared to be variations on the allegations Ahearn made in the complaint to the commission, but Mason said any variations were just the result of a year's investigation. Ahearn contends that she and other women on the force were often subjected to derogatory and stereotypical remarks by male employees. She says, during her employment, she heard women referred to as "lesbos," "useless females" and another derogatory four-letter word. Ahearn claims the statements were made in front of Schwerdtfeger, but that he took no action. Ahearn, who is also qualified as an emergency medical technician, also contends that Schwerdtfeger passed up a request by her that she be sponsored for a paramedic class in the spring of 1995. The class is a requirement for certification. A male call firefighter, who joined the force after Ahearn, wound up being sponsored. Ahearn says Schwerdtfeger told her the class would be "too difficult for a single mom with three kids to go through." Ahearn claims she went to more than 50 emergency scenes during her employment but never was given an opportunity to actively fight fires. She says she earned the derogatory nickname "flashlight girl" because she was often assigned to set up lights and do other menial tasks. Ahearn has not worked in the field since leaving her position in Chatham. — Cape Cod Times 16 July 1997

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ASK THE GLOBE IN SEARCH OF. . . Carol Dinan Donovan of Woburn is looking for James Ahearne, Charles Claffey, Anthony and William Kelley (or Kelly) and Edwin and Herbert Kenneally, all of whom were pallbearers at the funeral of her aunt, Helen C. Dinan, who died on June 13, 1947, and was waked at Donovan Funeral Home on School Street in Lynn. The Mass was at St. Joseph's Church and burial at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Lynn. Helen Dinan was the daughter of Daniel and Bridget Dinan and the sister of Daniel. She was a 20-year employee of the state Registery of Motor Vehicles. Contact Donovan at 445 Place Lane, Woburn, MA 01801 — The Boston Globe 25 August 1997

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Attorney's disease paves way for retrial Oakland—A judge has granted a new trial to a convicted Dublin child molester because the man's original attorney has Alzheimer's disease and there are questions about his performance during the man's trial. At the end of a three-hour hearing in Alameda County Superior Court, Judge Carl Morris said he believes Frank Melonzi deserves a new trial because his attorney, William Ahern of Castro Valley, failed to act on information that could have been helpful to the defense. Prosecutor Kamala Harris said there is no clear evidence that Ahern, who is in his 70s, was impacted by Alzheimer's disease during Melonzi's trial last March. The fact that Ahern didn't extensively cross-examine the alleged victims, she said, can be attributed to tactics rather than to a dereliction of duties. Melonzi, a 41-year-old grocery store clerk, was convicted last March 26 of three counts of lewd acts on a child and one count of repeated molestation of a child. He faced a sentence of from 12 to 64 years in state prison. — San Francisco Chronicle 27 September 1997

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Does Anybody Read This Stuff Before it Gets in the Paper? [. . .] And finally, it's a question asked by Dennis Ahern of Acton, among others, after reading a story in the Living/Arts pages by Maureen Dezell that said Elizabeth I, the queen mother, had to be artificially inseminated -- a truly awesome undertaking, said Ahern, considering that Elizabeth I has been dead for almost 400 years. As readers noted, Elizabeth I lived from 1533 to 1603, and Elizabeth, the queen mother, was queen consort to George VI and never a queen in her own right. "The queen mother was never Elizabeth I," says Ahern, "any more than the QE2 was begat by the Queen Mary." — The Boston Globe 29 September 1997

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Firefighter Relates the Horror of Fire GUSTINE -- Brian Ahearn, 41, said he might have died Thursday night in the fire that consumed Gustine High School had he not been protected by his late wife. Rita, who died of cancer just a few weeks earlier at age 43, would never have let him die, Ahearn said. She was watching over him, guiding him. Or, on the other hand, maybe it was God, or maybe it was a combination of Rita and God working together that saved him, Ahearn said. Or, maybe, what saved him was the powerful thought of his two boys, ages 10 and 12, losing another parent that gave Ahearn strength as he struggled through the smoke. And, unquestionably, Ahearn is still among the living because of the men who saved him. Ahearn spoke of these things Friday morning, just a little more than 12 hours after he had been pulled from the burning school. He stood outside the charred school as we talked, looking at times at the ruined building as he spoke. Ahearn is a big man, 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds. He speaks with a Rhode Island accent, because that is where he was raised. I asked him how he felt. "Like crap. I've been coughing up black stuff," he replied. Thursday night, shortly after the fire broke out, Ahearn entered the building wearing breathing apparatus and other gear. He said another firefighter entered the building through the side door with him, but the other firefighter soon left him. "He said he tugged on my arm and said he was going back out, but I did not hear him," Ahearn said. Alone, Ahearn made his way through a smoky hallway to the home economics class, where the fire seemed to originate. He hoped that by attacking the fire from inside he could keep the flames from spreading to the rest of the school. That hope was lost though when he looked up and saw fire glowing in the school's triple ceiling. He knew then that the structure was doomed and he had to get out. Then, a warning bell on his breathing apparatus sounded, signaling his air supply was low. Because of his large size, Ahearn said, he uses a lot of oxygen. But when he tried to switch over to an auxiliary air supply, the mechanism broke. Suddenly, Ahearn was completely without air. Ahearn began to struggle in the heavy, toxic smoke, quickly becoming disoriented. As he had been trained, he pressed close to the walls and tried to follow them out, but he quickly weakened. He might have stopped moving all together, but he thought of his two young boys. "People say you think of different things in that situation. For me, it was the two boys that kept me going. It was them that I thought about. That's what happens when you can't breathe no air. I thought, 'My boys, my boys. I can't leave my boys,'" he said. With his boys in mind, Ahearn struggled to a window, but he was too weak to do anything but collapse. "There was not a drop of air left in me," he said, not even enough to yell for help. Ahearn had strength for just one thing. He lifted an arm and pointed his flashlight at the window. Outside, Gustine firefighter and EMT Andy Hesbrook, saw the beam across the glass and knew it had to be Ahearn. Hesbrook did not hesitate. He broke the window with his hand and started trying to pull Ahearn out. Then, two other firefighters joined Hesbrook and together they pulled the heavy Ahearn completely outside and into the shrubbery surrounding the building. An ambulance was summoned and Ahearn was soon on his way to Comanche Community Hospital. Early, Friday, following treatment, Ahearn was released, feeling better, but not completely well. "People don't know about fire. It's a horror!" Ahearn reflected — Abilene Reporter-News 11 January 1998

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Apartment Sniper Kills 2, Wounds 2 A sniper fired from the balcony of his burning apartment and then wandered through the building, shooting randomly. Two people were killed and two were wounded at the Kings Creek complex in Kendall before the man surrendered. Witnesses said he may have been upset over his eviction. Police said he had three pistols in his belt when arrested. Paul David Ahern, 42, was being held on charges of murder, attempted murder, arson and other crimes. The blaze was confined to the suspect's apartment and caused no injuries. — Los Angeles Times 14 January 1998

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TWO KILLED IN FLORIDA RAMPAGE EX-WORCESTER MAN VICTIM OF SNIPER A shooting rampage early yesterday morning in suburban Miami caused the lives of two former Central Massachusetts residents to collide. One, Paul David Ahern, 42, was charged with murder. The other, Jeffrey S. Edinberg, 30, was killed. Edinberg grew up in Worcester, graduating from Doherty Memorial High School and then the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1990. Ahern grew up in a home on Brookfield Road in Brimfield, according to several Brimfield residents. It could not be determined last night whether the two knew each other. Ahern, according to neighbors, had been evicted from his apartment in Kendall, 10 miles southwest of Miami. Metro-Dade police said Ahern set his apartment on fire shortly before 1 a.m., then fired shots from the balcony before wandering through the building with a rifle and three pistols, firing randomly. In addition to Edinberg, Enrique Ermus, 42, was shot to death in the rampage. Two people, an unidentified woman and Police Officer Carlos LaBrada, were wounded during the violence. Arnold Edinberg of Worcester, the victim's father, said he was told that police believe his son was shot by mistake and that Ahern was aiming for the police officer Edinberg was talking to at the time he was shot. Arnold Edinberg said his son's funeral will be Friday. The random nature of the shooting was difficult to accept, he said. "Why couldn't he have won the lottery instead?" Arnold Edinberg said of Jeffrey, who was working for an architectural firm in the Miami area. "He had finally found people that he liked and people that he got friendly with and made himself a life down there," he said, adding that his son graduated from an architectural college in 1996. He said he last spoke to his son about five days ago. The conversation was so routine, he said, that he could not remember any specifics. He praised Worcester police for the way they handled the matter. "(Yesterday) morning, a sergeant from the Worcester Police Department came to the door," he said, referring to Detective Sgt. John Eager. "I think that they did a very commendable thing coming to the house like they did, instead of just calling me from Miami." Arnold Edinberg said his son had been living in Florida for about five years. He said his son's roommate, who was standing nearby when the shooting happened, was not injured. Alfi Portela was among hundreds of residents in the sprawling Kings Creek condominium complex who was awakened by the violence. "When the shot came through my window, one explosion sounded a little bit different from the others," she said. "It was the loudest explosions I've ever heard." The shooting began after an off-duty police officer working security at the complex reported the fire. "The cop called the fire in. Then while he talks to someone in the parking lot, someone starts shooting," Metro-Dade police spokesman Rudy Espinosa said. Ahern was being held on two counts of murder, attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, arson and other charges. Police said Ahern had no arrest record. Resident Sandy Youkilis said he heard the wounded officer calling for help. "He was screaming, "The guy shot my leg off! The guy shot my leg off!' " Youkilis said. The sniper then left the apartment, walked down the hall and shot a woman, Espinosa said. "She's able to run away into an elevator," he said. "He continues to walk up and down the apartment building, down hallways and corridors, shooting at random, into apartments, into windows." The gunman went outside and shot Edinberg to death in the parking lot before giving up, police said. The rampage was over within a half-hour. LaBrada was in good condition at a Miami hospital. The injured woman was in critical condition with a bullet wound to her abdomen. The fire spread to an adjacent apartment before it was extinguished. No one was injured by the fire. The Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale reported in today's editions that Ahern one week ago was issued a temporary permit to work security and carry a gun. Ahern is believed to have moved to Florida in 1993 and had previously lived in the Springfield area. — Worcester Telegram & Gazette 14 January 1998

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AHERN RECALLED AS ATHLETIC, SMART Paul David Ahern, 42, who was charged Tuesday with killing two people in Florida, was a good student and a hard-hitting football linebacker when he attended Tantasqua Regional Senior High School, teachers and classmates recall. Police charge Ahern set his Kendall, Fla., apartment on fire, then fired shots from the balcony and wandered through the building with a rifle and three pistols, firing randomly. One of those killed was Jeffrey S. Edinberg, 30, formerly of Worcester. Ahern is expected to be arraigned today on charges of two counts of murder, attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, attempted murder, arson and other charges. Police said Ahern had no arrest record. Ahern, who lived at times in Springfield, California and Florida after his 1973 graduation from high school, is the son of two teachers. He and his four brothers and sister grew up on Brookfield Road in Brimfield. He was remembered at Tantasqua yesterday by friends and teachers as an all-round athlete who played baseball and football, and as an excellent student. "When he left the area, everybody lost touch with him," Principal Francis G. Simanski said. Simanski said Paul's father, Edward Ahern, was a science teacher at the regional junior-senior high school until the completion of the junior high building in the early 1970s, at which time Paul Ahern went to the junior high. Edward Ahern served as president of the teachers' association for a while. Paul Ahern's mother, Ann Ahern, was a longtime teacher at Brimfield Elementary School. The couple eventually divorced. Edward Ahern died in January 1996. Ann Ahern, who moved to Springfield before retiring to Daytona, Fla., declined to comment yesterday when reached at her Florida home. A brother, Michael Ahern of Hightstown, N.J., said, "I haven't seen him in 10 years. I don't really want to comment." Brimfield Tax Collector Susan Hilker said three pieces of Edward Ahern's property went into tax title after siblings could not agree over administration of his estate. Guy Barbieri of Holland, speaking of Paul Ahern, recalled, "We hung out together in high school." Barbieri and Ahern were roommates their freshman year at Northeastern University in Boston, where Ahern was majoring in business at the time. Barbieri left to go to another school, and said he believes Ahern changed his major. "So after the freshman year, I kind of lost touch with Paul," he said. Barbieri said his graduating class has held two reunions since 1973, but "I don't think he was at either one of them. "He was an intelligent person," Barbieri said. "He was a nice kid. All I can say is good things about Paul." Barbieri said Ahern loved playing football, and "academically, he liked to be challenged." Barbieri recalled that during a 1972 home football game against Southbridge, Ahern tackled a Southbridge ball carrier and "the hit could be heard" over the field. Of what happened in Florida, Barbieri said, "If it's true what they say, I hope he gets all the necessary help." Barbieri added that it is too bad Ahern will be known publicly for what happened in Florida, rather than for what he was like as a young man. "There was nothing to lead me to believe he would ever do anything like this," Barbieri said. Peter McDonald, a teacher at Tantasqua, remembered Ahern as an excellent student in his cinema course. Christian A. Castendyk, a psychology teacher at Tantasqua, taught Western civilization when he had Ahern as a student. "It is very shocking for me to hear the news. I am saddened for the family," Castendyk said. "He was always a person who did the right thing. He was never a behavioral problem. He seemed very quiet. "I can't find anything that I would say would be an indicator of behavior that would suggest he would have done something like this," the psychology teacher said. "He never, in any way, gave any indication of being that kind of person. It caught me by surprise." Sally Meitzler of Brimfield grew up down the street from Ahern and was in his graduating class. "He was just fine," she said. "A normal person." A mathematics teacher at Tantasqua, James W. Allen, recalls Ahern: "He was a good student and he was conscientious. He had an intensity about him, but not any more than a lot of other people I know." — Worcester Telegram & Gazette 15 January 1998

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FLA. SHOOTING SUSPECT REPORTEDLY HAD TROUBLES Manic depression and financial problems reportedly had surrounded Paul D. Ahern when he fired a high-powered hunting rifle Tuesday, killing two people and wounding two others after setting his condominium afire in Miami. Ahern, 42, is awaiting a court hearing on charges of murder, attempted murder, burglary and assault. Among his victims is another Central Massachusetts native, Jeffrey S. Edinberg, 30, who grew up in Worcester. Edinberg's funeral was yesterday in Worcester. Florida newspapers Thursday helped piece together accounts of Ahern's life after he left Massachusetts, where he grew up a scholar-athlete in the Tantasqua Regional School District. He moved from his family's rural Brimfield home to Springfield after his high school graduation in 1973. Ahern also lived in California and Florida, where he was living in his late father's home in Miami's Kendall section. The Miami Herald reported that Ahern had inherited the property, although a police record listed him as a co-owner. Brimfield Tax Collector Susan Hilker said earlier that an estate squabble had led to longtime family property in that town being placed in tax-title proceedings. The Herald quoted unnamed sources in reporting that Ahern had a history of manic depression. He was unmarried and most recently worked as a security guard, the newspaper said. The Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale said Ahern had passed a psychological evaluation and had been issued a temporary gun permit in preparation for that job. He was wearing a security guard uniform when he allegedly burst into neighbor Ana Monteiro's apartment and wounded her before shooting three other people from a balcony in the building. Police Officer Carlos LaBrada was wounded, and Enrique Ermus, 42, was killed. The Fort Lauderdale paper referred to Ahern as an "accountant who hadn't held a steady job in years." It quoted residents who had been frightened by Ahern. One neighbor said he fired shots through her ceiling the day before the killings. Florida records said he had no criminal record. "He always looked (ticked) off, angry about something," Leslie Jacoby, a frequent visitor to Ahern's building, told the Sun Sentinel. "For no reason at all, he would look at you and say: "You can't get me. I'm smarter than you.' " Wackenhut Corp. had hired Ahern as a guard in December. The newspapers reported he was behind on condo maintenance fee payments, and the condo association had begun foreclosure proceedings to collect the $2,500 owed. His late father, Edward, a retired Tantasqua teacher, had been on the condo complex's board of directors. His mother, Ann Ahern, divorced from Edward, lives in Daytona, Fla. The Florida story was in stark contrast with recollections of those who knew him in Brimfield. Though he was aggressive on the football field, friends and teachers here described him earlier this week as friendly, curious and intelligent. — Worcester Telegram & Gazette 17 January 1998

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Three Sailors From Area Lost at Sea in 1952 Tragedy Off Mt. Zion Road—amid the new subdivisions that are redefining Union—is the old Union Rice Cemetery. Among the grave markers in the small cemetery is a tombstone with the inscription: ''Homer Frank Jones, lost his life when the U.S.S. Hobson sunk at sea April 26, 1952.'' That simple inscription is a Northern Kentucky link to a great disaster in America's past: the sinking of the U.S.S. Hobson. In fact, shortly after the tragedy at sea in 1952, Time Magazine called it the ''biggest peacetime casualty in modern U.S. naval history.'' The Hobson was built as a destroyer and launched at Charleston, S.C., in September 1941, just months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the United States into World War II. The Hobson got its name from Richmond Pearson Hobson. A native of Greensboro, Ala., and an 1889 graduate of the Naval Academy, Hobson was part of an American fleet that sailed to Cuba in the opening days of the Spanish-American War. Hobson volunteered to take command of the coal hauler ''Merrimac.'' A crew of six volunteers attempted to bottle up the Spanish fleet at Santiago Harbor by sinking the coal boat in the harbor entrance. Hobson and his men managed to sink the Merrimac, but not exactly where intended. Regardless, Hobson was later awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism. After its shakedown exercises, the U.S.S. Hobson saw action in the Atlantic Ocean as an escort for the aircraft carrier Ranger and in anti-submarine operations. The Hobson later saw duty in the Mediterranean Sea, serving as a convoy escort between ports in Algeria, Italy and France. In November 1944 the Hobson returned to the United States for conversion to a destroyer-minesweeper. With that work completed, the Hobson went through the Panama Canal in January 1945 for service in the Pacific Ocean. That service would include action in advance of the American assault on the island of Okinawa. The Hobson survived the war. Several years later, after the outbreak of the Korean War, the Hobson was assigned duty as a screening ship and airplane guard for aircraft carriers. In that role the Hobson was to work in close coordination with aircraft carriers so it could rescue pilots who crashed into the ocean while attempting to take off or land from a carrier. That was the role the Hobson was playing as it steamed in the Atlantic Ocean on the night of April 26, 1952, about 700 miles west of the Azores. Among those onboard were three Northern Kentucky men: Joseph M. Walton, 22, son of Mr. and Mrs. Evan P. Walton of 412 Hazen St., Bellevue; Homer F. Jones, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Orville Jones of East Bend Road in Boone County; and Nelson E. Wessel, 20, son of William E. Wessel of 513 W. 14th St., Covington. A Kentucky Times-Star account on April 28, 1952, said the facts of the incident were still under investigation, but the night exercise involved 23 American ships and was being conducted in stormy weather with choppy seas. The ships included carriers, cruisers, destroyers and submarines. The Hobson and the U.S.S. Rodman were trailing the aircraft carrier Wasp in their pilot rescue role. At that point the Wasp apparently turned to face into the wind to make it easier for pilots to land. The account said it was not clear what the Hobson did. But the Hobson ended up directly in the path of the Wasp. The 27,100-ton Wasp struck the middle of the 1,630-ton Hobson and basically cut it in half. The Wasp suffered a 75-foot hole in its starboard, but none of its crew was injured. The Hobson sank fast. On board the Hobson were 14 officers and a crew of 223 men - many of whom were asleep at the time. Of those 237 sailors, 176 were declared missing and believed drowned. An account in The Kentucky Post on April 29, 1952, identified the three Northern Kentucky men as among the missing. Walton had been in the Navy for about four years. He had recently been transfered to the Hobson as a machinist mate third class. He was a graduate of Bellevue High School and his father worked for the American Tool Works Co. in Cincinnati. Jones joined the Navy on Sept. 8, 1950. His father was a veteran of World War I and the operator of a farm three miles east of Burlington. Wessel had served on the Hobson for more than two years. Most of that time he had served with his brother, Donald, 22, of Cincinnati, who had been discharged in January 1952. Wessel had gone to Hughes High School in Cincinnati before joining the Navy. The Kentucky Post quoted Adm. Lynde D. McCormick, commander-in-chief of the Atlantic fleet, as saying those unaccounted for were officially considered as missing, but the search for survivors had been called off because ''there was no possibility of any further survivors of the Hobson.'' Among those on the Wasp was a 21-year-old Newport sailor, Patrick O'Hearn. He later called his mother, Elizabeth O'Hearn of Maple Avenue, Newport, to tell her he was OK. She, in turn, told the Kentucky Post her son had witnessed the collision of the two ships. She said he saw the lights of the Hobson cross the bow of the Wasp and he knew the two ships were too close. O'Hearn felt the impact and was nearly knocked down, his mother said. O'Hearn told his mother he saw three men on the Hobson try to leap just before the impact. In the rocking waters one landed on the flight deck, another grabbed the radar holding on the Wasp and the third disappeared in the water. Mrs. O'Hearn said the sight left her son physically ill. A Time Magazine account on May 19, 1952, quoted one witness as saying Lt. Comdr. W. J. Tierney, commanding officer on the Hobson, had ordered ''increase to left full - increase to left,'' just a second before the crash, when a more obvious order would have been ''right, full rudder.'' A later inquiry never pinpointed what Tierney may have been trying to accomplish by his order. He was never able to explain his actions. He was among those who died in the tragedy. — The Cincinnati Post 9 February 1998

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Quiet Art That Tells The Truth Absence of contrivance marks Patrick Aherne retrospective If recognition kept pace with accomplishment, Patrick Aherne would be one of Northern California's most celebrated painters. His long teaching career at the University of California at Santa Cruz was punctuated by few solo exhibitions there or elsewhere. Yet the work in Aherne's small retrospective at the College of Notre Dame's Wiegand Gallery is immediately impressive. Its subdued palette and shallow picture space cause some of Aherne's work to snuggle like camouflage against the Wiegand's field stone walls and spotty lighting. But a closer look at pictures such as ''Grove'' (1982-87), ''Paysage'' (1969-81) and ''Treod River'' (1981-95) reveals worlds of deft, restless drawing and quiet chromatic dissonance. Aherne's work seems to give off historical echoes without contrivance. Few painters could try—without embarrassing themselves or us—to cut a middle path between Courbet and Cezanne, as Aherne does in the landscape ''Above Elkhorn'' (1994). With its willowy drawing and shallow, draperylike space, ''Treod River'' exhales memories of Matisse, Pollock and perhaps even William Blake. ''Marshy Dig'' (1975) recalls Joan Mitchell, ''Ikebana'' (1974-79) the early Philip Guston, ''Bush Painting'' (1975-76) the slivered abstractions of Lee Krasner. But Aherne's color sense is always his own. ''Treod River,'' an 8-by-12-foot diptych, is especially impressive. Its accretion of small gestures and stuttering revisions leave it—looking resolved yet uncomposed. Some visitors to Aherne's show will be surprised to find themselves reminded of Gerhard Richter, whose international acclaim may be out of proportion to what anyone can achieve in painting. Like Richter, Aherne shuttles between imagery and abstraction, or more and less abstract work. But while Richter equates sophistication with irony and teases us with authorial detachment, Aherne paints straight ahead, as if art objects owed no apology for their anachronism or their implicit bid to become valuable property. Theorists of contemporary art will take Aherne's directness as a mark of provinciality, of unresponsiveness to the central realities and ideas of our moment. His work is not confrontational, but it is good enough to make us ask ourselves whether we are on the side of theory, or of what artworks themselves offer us. — San Francisco Chronicle 19 February 1998

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KGO-TV Names New Top Executive Joseph J. Ahern, the longtime president and general manager of WLS- TV in Chicago, has been appointed president and general manager of KGO (Channel 7), effective April 6. Ahern replaces Jim Topping, who earlier this month announced his retirement from the top job at Channel 7. Ahern ran WLS from 1985 until last year, when he became senior vice president and managing director of broadcasting for Walt Disney Television International in London. Both KGO and WLS are owned and operated by ABC, which is owned by the Walt Disney Co. At Channel 7, Ahern's first priority is expected to be to improve the station's 11 p.m. news ratings. The station was fourth in late news in the February ratings sweeps. — San Francisco Chronicle 17 March 1998

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TV Reporter Gives Advice to Students Mary Ann Bergerson Ahern had candid advice for young people who might be seeking a career in broadcast journalism: "Get a strong gut." Ahern, a reporter for NBC 5 News, spoke at Purdue University North Central Campus Thursday. She warned aspiring television reporters, "You’ve got to be willing to have people say your hair is too short or your teeth are not straight enough..." She gets criticism even from her family, Ahern said, as she gestured toward her two brothers and her sister, her niece and her nephew who were at PNC to hear her presentation. A Marquette High School graduate who grew up in a house near Stop 18, Ahern said her sister criticizes her on-air wardrobe. The family at PNC seemed to take the kidding in stride, laughing with Ahern even when she reminded the audience that her brother, Michael Bergerson, is running for the Democratic nomination for LaPorte County prosecutor. "That’s B-e-r-g-e-r..." Ahern said, in case anyone needed to know how to spell the candidate’s name. When Michael Bergerson raised his hand to ask a question, however, Ahern teased him again: "In 43 years, he has never listened to anything I’ve had to say. Now he wants to ask a question?" Ahern is the youngest of seven children. Her father died when Ahern was only 10. Her late mother, Mary Jane Bergerson, was a strong role model for the whole family, Ahern said. She told of trips to the Chicago museums and of experiences with the Dunes Summer Theater, all initiated and encouraged by her mother, an English teacher. "I always wanted to be a reporter," Ahern said in an interview. "But I guess I didn’t have the guts to do it." Instead, she became an English teacher. After earning a degree in English from John Carroll University, she taught for five years in Chicago and in a suburb. She left teaching to pursue a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Ahern has covered national and international events, including the 1996 Democratic National Convention, Pope John Paul II’s recent visit to Cuba and Princess Diana’s visit to Chicago. She also traveled to Rome with Cardinal Francis George, head of the Archdiocese of Chicago, when the pope elevated George to the rank of cardinal. These days, except for those special assignments to Rome and Havana, Ahern works three days a week. The mother of three young children — daughter, Coady, 6, son, Sean, 5 and daughter, Colleen, 2 — Ahern said she and her husband Tom want to spend as much time as possible with the family. "When I die, I don’t want my tombstone to say, ‘She scooped the pope.’ I want it to say, ‘She raised a nice family,’ " Ahern said. Mayor Sheila Brillson, although divorced from Ahern’s brother, remains close to Ahern. "Mary Ann and I met at college," Brillson said. "Our children are close, especially my Mary and Coady." Brillson called Ahern "a wonderful mom and a talented professional." Ahern covers religion for Channel 5. Several years ago, when